A shakeout in junk bonds is starting to raise worries that junk funds will have a tough time selling their riskiest holdings if investors start to pull out. The average junk fund lost 1.72% in the past month vs. a 0.10% gain for the average intermediate-term government bond fund, says Morningstar.

Companies are increasingly resorting to buybacks to boost their earnings per share. “The result is companies reporting earnings per share that smell a lot better than the actual performance of their bottom lines — news that has, perhaps, attracted investment dollars to those stocks,” says the New York Post.

Mortgage closing costs rose 6% over the past year and now average $2,539 on a $200,000 loan, according to Bankrate.com. Origination fees accounted for the bulk of the increase (they jumped 9%), while third-party fees edged up 1%.